The 2010 ICCA Finals

Mike Chin checking in after a remarkable ICCA Finals at Lincoln Center in New York City. This was the fourth straight year I’ve been to the big show, and this was quite arguably the most competitive, and most memorable Final I’ve seen. I had mixed feelings going into the night. On one hand, I liked the idea of a more streamlined show that would result from separating the high school and collegiate finals shows; on the other hand, I sort of enjoyed the experience of ODing on a cappella on a Saturday night each April by getting to see 10-12 competition sets. Nonetheless, there was still plenty to cheer for with six really strong collegiate finalists, plus exhibitions from three of the preceding night’s high school finalists, and the professional a cappella stylings of Duwende. All that, and I got to meet John Park!

The night was all the more special for the packed house in Alice Tully Hall. The finals have always drawn a decent crowd, but I think this was the flat-out largest crowd I’ve seen for the show. What’s more, it was an enthusiastic audience that seemed ready and poised for a clap-along, a cheer, and standing ovation throughout the night.

Before we get to the review, a quick summary:

The Competitors:
The SoCal VoCals (University of Southern California)
The Buffalo Chips (SUNY Buffalo)
The Accidentals (University of Georgia)
Purple Haze (Northwestern University)
Pitch Slapped (Berklee College of Music)
Divisi (University of Oregon)

Guest Groups:
Duwende
N’Harmonic Fusion (DeKalb High School)
The Town Criers (Weston High School)
Limited Edition (Port Washington High School)

Emcee: Dave Brown

Duwende kicked things off with “Free Your Mind.” The six person vocal band, featuring five men and one woman, did a wonderful job of setting a positive tone and high energy for the night.

Next up, two high school groups had the opportunity to show their stuff. DeKalb High School’s mixed group, N’Harmonic Fusion, performed a very nice rendition of Dashboard Confessional’s “Stolen.” Then we had the Weston High School Town Criers come out with a really fun version of “Let It Rock,” originally by Kevin Rudolf. Emcee Dave Brown offered the fun insight that this all-male group has no faculty director, nor even a director among the students, but rather arranges collaboratively, without even using sheet music. The guys demonstrated great energy here.

But then it was time for The SoCal VoCals to kick off the night’s competition. To say that The VoCals came in carrying lofty expectations upon their shoulders would be a tremendous understatement. This is the group that made one of the most impressive runs in ICCA history in 2008 when they ran roughshod over the West region, en route to a decisive victory in the ICCA Finals, which I maintain offered up the single best competition set I have ever seen. What’s more, select current members and alumni of the group earned national recognition this past winter for an appearance on The Sing-Off. So what would this year’s West champs bring to the stage?

I have to speak my peace on the outfits to start. In 2008, the only thing I didn’t like about this group was its attire. The guys looked great in black vests and slacks, white collared shirts and purple ties. The girls looked great in their blue dresses. The problem is that they looked like two separate groups. When I saw this year’s guys come out in blue shirts, white ties and black bottoms, I had high hopes that they were meeting the girls on their side of the color spectrum—but then the girls came out in purple tops and black bottoms. I know there has to be some sort of reason for this, because The VoCals are so meticulous about every other component of their set. But what’s with the mismatched outfits? VoCals, if you’re reading, please drop a note in the comments section!

OK, enough on their threads, and on to their performance. The SoCal VoCals opened with “God Bless the Child” by Billie Holiday. I’m ordinarily not a huge fan of jazzy numbers like this in a contemporary a cappella competition. I feel as though jazz sort of has the effect of pigeon-holing a group into a more traditional, old-style niche that’s not as accessible to the everyday listener and sort of limits what a group can do. While I still think The VoCals could have made more appealing song selections, I cant deny that they executed this very, very well. The solo went from good to downright sensational, building over the course of the performance, which is exactly what you want for a soloist to do in the name of building a story, and retaining the audience’s attention. The group also reasserted itself as one that knows how to create a visual, from the soloist breaking out from the middle of her surrounding group mates, to the very end, at which point she stood on e side of the stage with the rest of the group clustered on the opposite side of the stage. These sorts of visuals went a long way toward creating moments that are going to stand out in the minds of audience members and judges alike. My only complaint here, though, was that the transitions between visuals didn’t seem quite as fluid as I’d like—the end results were still magnificent, but I almost felt as though I could “see the strings” as the group members very consciously repositioned themselves for the next bit of posturing.

The next song was “Crazy Ever After,” originally performed by The Rescues. Though they were the first of the night’s competitors, this song was where The VoCals set them apart as a truly different group from any other in collegiate a cappella. This song is all about scattered thoughts after a lover leaves, and lent itself exceptionally well to the VoCals interpretation with soloists rotating in and out throughout the song, as well as constant rotations in the background. The fact that every single soloist held his or her own says worlds about the depth and caliber of this group, and the fact that they were able to weave a cohesive story from these disparate pieces shows who this group is a set of masters when it comes to putting together a song for competition. The movement was positively organic to the music this time around, and the whole set up was different, innovative, and just wonderful to take in from an audience member’s perspective. The greatest moment of all arrived at the end, at which point a straight line of VoCals belted the word “stay,” with such raw emotion that I actually felt a chill run up my arm. Simply fantastic middle song.

The SoCal VoCals wrapped up their set with Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.” It says a lot about this group that the first soloist took home Outstanding Soloist honors in the quarterfinals, that the middle song gave every member to shine—and yet I would argue that the most impressive vocals of the set came from the soloist on this closer. The guy put forth emotion, intensity and even a bit of humor in executing his part. The group sounded great, the percussion was very good, and again, we got a lot of fun choreography, ranging from the more standard hand motions and side steps, to more VoCal-specific highlights like lifting the soloist, while some members crouched, bent, or stood at an angle to create almost a bleachers effect, of which the soloist stood at the top. Best of all, though, was the very end, when the group broke things down and just free-style danced. While I’m sure they rehearsed this up the wazoo, it just looked so fun and free-form—a perfect way of tying up a set that was otherwise so clearly polished, by letting the group’s proverbial hair down and having some fun. You know you’ve done something right when parts of the audience start applauding before you even finish your final notes.

Typically, opening an ICCA show is a big handicap, because there’s no one to compare you to, and it’s harder to remember your set by the end of the night. With that in mind, at the start of the night, it was hard to appreciate just how good The SoCal VoCals were. Despite that fact, by the time they finished, I had no problem recognizing this as one of the top five best competition sets I’ve ever seen.

The second group was The Buffalo Chips. The Chips came out in royal blue shirts, white ties and black bottoms, for a look that, at a quick glance, almost made it appear that the guys from The VoCals were coming on out for a second run. Irony aside, it’s a good concept for a look—formal, unique and, as one of The Chips alumni was kind enough to explain to me after Semis, representative of the school colors. My only beef here was the way the guys wore their ties—well over half of them had them hanging way too long, well below their belts. I know, I know, it’s a music competition, so I shouldn’t get so hung up on clothes, and maybe I’m just OCD, but every morning, before I go to work, I take an extra second to make sure my tie never reaches lower than the top of my belt buckle. Even if most of the audience members wouldn’t notice this, it’s little details like that that can make an subconscious impression, making a group appear just a little professional.

The Chips started with Owl City’s “Fireflies.” As they started the song, a number of Chips flickered laser pointers or little flashlights on and off for an imaginative and fun lead in. Better yet, since Semis they added an element of lifting the soloist up so he was in the middle of all of them, reaching out and trying to catch the “fireflies.” It was a nice touch. A number of male groups are doing this song this year, but I have to say that this remained the best version I’ve heard to date. Whether it was natural or he was working toward this end, the soloist’s voice had an uncanny resemblance to that of the Owl City singer, for a really neat sound. There was a lot of really fun stop-motion choreography going on here too—visually appealing, but just understated and well-executed enough not to distract from the music. I have to admit that I think this song choice, itself, is a little thin and breezy for a serious competition set, but with that being said, I think the guys made the most of it for a good opener.

Next up was “Drive” by Incubus. In discussing this song choice, I have to make mention that this song was cool when I was a senior in high school—and, folks, I’ve been out of college for a while. Furthermore, it’s one of those songs that’s been covered to death on the all-male a cappella scene. On top of all of this, it’s the sort of song I just don’t dig for competition—a ‘tweener that’s neither slow nor fast, a song that’s neither really chill nor intense. I will credit The Chips for, at the least, making the best of a lackluster song choice. Very strong solo here, and a good, complex background sound. They toned down the choreography from Semis to be a bit more serious, which I think was a very good decision.

Last up was “Army” by Ben Folds. I get what The Chips were going for. This is a song with a ton of potential to demonstrate your energy, and do creative things with the brass arrangement. Nonetheless, I’ve long held that it’s really hard for an a cappella group to cover Ben Folds well (his University A Cappella compilation represents just about all of the rare exceptions I’ve heard), and I couldn’t help scratching my head at The Chips taking on yet another dated song that has already been covered a lot. Mind you, they made an admirable go at the song, with a good solo and three part brass section. I particularly enjoyed the lyrical conversion where the soloist noted “I thought about the army, I dropped out and joined The Chips instead.” Nonetheless, I couldn’t help feeling this group was capable of bigger and more original things.

I like that The Chips chose recognizable material, and songs that are good for an all-male group. I just wish they had been more creative when it came to song selection—I feel as though they had the talent to be better that what we saw. I got to chat with a couple of The Chips at the after party, though, and one thing I do have to say is that they came off as genuinely likeable guys who were really just enjoying the experience of making it to finals. Given the nature of this tournament—that it’s all college students, balancing a cappella with the rest of their lives—there’s a lot to be said for people who can take in the moment and just have fun. In short, I’m glad The Chips were there.

The third group of the evening was The Accidentals. Very sharp look for these guys with black vests, black bottoms, white collared shirts and red ties. As time moves along, and critics like me make a big deal about attire, I know there’s a certain pressure to develop a unique look. These guys demonstrated that a simple, formal and uniform look goes a long way—and having just a small touch of distinctive color, like the red ties, is plenty to distinguish yourselves.

The Accidentals kicked off their set with “Comin’ Home Baby,” a Mel Torme classic most recently reimagined by Michael Buble. The guys started with just six people on stage, for a really captivating visual (as in, “there are really only six guys in this finalist group? This is going to be something special!”) before the rest of the guys came out. Fun visuals all around, fine solo. The percussion took center stage as VP guy was not only very, very good, but during his drum solo paused, handed off his mic, executed a hands-free back flip, then got his mic back and went right on going. Not exactly musical, but it was good showmanship, and while I think anything more would have just been ridiculous, I think he stayed right on the right side of the line to not take away from the performance.

Next up was “I Shall Not Walk Alone,” originally by Ben Harper. I’m ordinarily not so big on religious tunes in this context, but when Ben Harper gets spiritual, the results are usually pretty amazing, and this is one of a few of his songs in this vain that I’ve long wanted to hear a cappella. Here we have it (now somebody please go arrange “Blessed To Be A Witness”). Enough with that tangent. The sound was pretty great here with a soloist who was quite easily among the five best of the night, and a fantastic choral sound from the group with very nice variation in the dynamics, and a very smooth blend. Nice visuals with group members all kneeling around the soloist to start, then gradually rising, but maintaining symmetry in their positioning. The coolest moment of all for this song came in the very last words. The words “I shall not walk alone” recur over and over throughout the song, but on the very last singing, the group fell out, such that the soloist say “I shall not” on his own; then the soloist fell out as the group all sang “walk alone.” It’s such a small detail, but these sorts of moments communicate the fact that you have really connected with your song, know what you’re singing about, and are going to make decisions around that. This is a note for all of the groups that unconsciously smile their way through ballads and the like—think about the meaning of your song and work out your details around it.

Speaking of details, how cool was the transition between the Harper song and The Beatles’ “Come Together”? The guys repositioned themselves into an arc and started a very quiet but steady drum roll. Meanwhile, each guy unbuttoned and rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie a bit. This is exactly how you build anticipation, as the air was positively electric for this song. Solid song to follow. The solo was quite good, though a little uneven for me—there were times when he came across as a legitimate rock star, and other points at which he only came off as someone who wanted to be that kind of singer. As it went on, this song seemed to run a little long for my tastes, and I’m not sure it delivered as a set closer the way I would have hoped for it to have. The guys made the good and really interesting decision to lyrically sample another Beatles song, “Help!” late in the game, while maintaining the melody and rhythm of “Come Together.” By the end, the group had segments the crowd clapping along with them before they even called for the clap-along—and when they did call for it, the claps swelled. Right idea for a closer—it had all of the key elements, and they generally executed well—but this song was just missing a certain X-factor for me. Maybe it was the sheer anticipation at the start of the song and the fact that they didn’t quite deliver all the way at the end. This is a finals level criticism, though. Don’t get me wrong because, top to bottom, this was absolutely a finals level set—it just didn’t win me over completely.

Leading into intermission, a Lincoln Center staffer swung by and told one of our neighbors to put away a camera. At this point, she noticed the iPad ACB Production Manager Mike Scalise was using to live blog, and told him to put that “camera” away as well. We’re not ones to ruffle feathers, so we complied—anyway, for those who observed the gap in our live-blogging on Facebook and Twitter, that’s the reason.

After intermission, it was time for the ICHSA champions, Port Washington High School Limited Edition, to take the stage for a performance of John Legend’s “If You’re Out There.” Perfect inspirational tune for an optimistic young high school group, and quite well-rendered by this crew.

The competition resumed with Purple Haze out next. The mixed group took the stage in a sea of black and purple dress attire. I would have liked to have seen them pattern their outfits a bit more of a uniformly, but they looked sharp nonetheless.

The group opened with “I’m Outta Love” by Anastacia, the song with which they closed at Semis. It was a good change, as the song was a bit too similar to the old opener, “Mr. Right,” and it was the stronger of the two. This opened the group up to show more of its range. The song itself was high energy and tight. The soloist was very good and toned down some of the theatrics of her dancing to set a more professional tone this time around. Very good, very big sound from the group for a nice opener.

Next, John Park of American Idol fame got on the mic to sing the solo for John Legend’s “Coming Home.” This was Purple Haze’s second trip to the finals. The last time, in 2008, they had Regina Spektor’s “Samson” as their middle tune. The common thread is that Purple Haze knows how to bring down the house with a ballad. The solo remains the best I’ve heard in collegiate a cappella this year, and the group did a perfect job holding its own while allowing Park to shine. It’s a subtle thing, but I also like that, although the group members looked emotionally invested, they didn’t feel a need to sway, or reposition themselves the way so many groups do. When you’re doing a ballad, it’s OK to be still. Better yet, I really liked the subtle touch of the facials of the girls on the repetition of “I’m coming, I’m coming” late in the song. They slowly started to smile, and looked downright hopeful by the end, which is exactly what this song is about—soldiers coming home from abroad, the promise and anticipation that comes with that, punctuated by the joy of the moment. Like The Accidentals earlier in the evening, Purple Haze connected with the song and found a way to demonstrate that they meant what they sang. Great stuff.

Last up was a mash up En Vogue’s “Never Gonna Get It” and “Free Your Mind.” The choreography was a little overdone for my tastes here, but it was their closer, so I can forgive it to a reasonable extent. Very good soloists here, and it sounded pretty good. All in all, this song was fine, but I couldn’t help wishing for something more. I think Purple Haze had the right idea with this kind of song—something familiar, high energy and fun—but I worry that they fell into the trap of being a little too silly. For example, there was a moment in the choreography when the group all clustered at the middle of the stage, then crouched down with just one person standing tall in the group. One guy had his back to the crowd, turned around and acted mortified to find he was alone; one of the girls smiled cutely and waved to the audience. This was really entertaining and well-planned, but at the same time just felt a bit beneath Purple Haze as a group of serious musicians. I would contrast this with the performance Fermata Nowhere turned in to win at Finals last year. The guys’ closer was positively silly, including samples of songs like Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” It was hilarious, but at no point in the performance did the guys let you know that they thought they were being hilarious—they executed, and let the performance speak for itself. While Purple Haze was very, very good right up to the end of their set, it was this self-conscious cuteness that pushed the group back from being in contention to win to being closer to the middle of the Finals pack.

Pitch Slapped was the fifth competing group to take the stage. They wore all black and white, with the guys in black vests, black slacks, black ties and white collared shirts, and a handful of them with hats. The women were a bit less uniform, but maintained the color scheme. All in all, it was interesting mix of casual and formal, uniformity with dashes of individualism. One of the better dressed groups I’ve seen this year.

The group opened with Cobra Starships “Good Girls Go Bad.” Good soloist here, and very good percussion. I particularly liked a stomp-clap section where the men and women sort of squared off for a fun visual and monster sound. While I don’t typically enjoy over the top costuming, one of the true highlights was the female solo wjp came in midway through, playing the part of a good girl, well, gone bad—starting with red glasses on, hair up, then shedding the glasses and swinging her hair free. It’s a less subtle connection to a less subtle song than the examples I was drawing on earlier, but it is a good example of how to use the co-ed nature of your group to tell a story. I also enjoyed the unique choice of the girls running their fingers over their lips for a unique sound effect late in the song. All in all, there were a number of elements of this song, from the humor, to the theatrics, to the costuming, to the clap-along at the end, that screamed final song, making it an odd opener for me. I think the group was trying to establish its identity, here, though, as a group that’s not afraid to have fun, but demonstrate great musicality while they’re at it. All in all, it was a solid start to the set.

Next up was “Halo,” originally by Beyonce. After “The Chain” by Ingrid Michaelson, I think “Halo” ranks as my favorite middle song choice of 2010. If I remember correctly, this is the third time I’ve seen it put into to play at this point of a set, and the third time it worked as a ballad with an optimistic tone. On most nights, the solo on this one would be a clear choice for Outstanding Soloist honors; given the stiff competition in that area, it was no runaway, but I would still decisively put it in the top three. Fantastic percussion here too. My only real complaint with this song was the swaying and sidesteps in the background. For this kind of ballad, movement is usually unnecessary, and I did find it a little distracting in this instance. The one part of the visual presentation I did really like, though, was a series of motions late in the song, during which the group members linked arms, then held hands, then lifted those clasped hands in strength, before dropping them and separating. The movement was just so fluid, and came across as something they were doing effortlessly to subtly bolster the song.

Last up was “Got to Get You Into My Life” by The Beatles. Smooth start as the group carried out a well synchronized spin. This song offered up one of the most fun solos of the night. The group made this fast enough that I didn’t like any soloist’s chances on it, but the guy was more than up to the task, showing impressive control, besides off the wall charisma and likability. Really good choreography, for a strong closer.

All in all, it was a pretty odd set for me with book-end “closer” songs surrounding a “bring down the house” ballad in the middle. I sort of got the feeling that the group was trying to knock it out of the park with every song, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the competition setting, but I was a bit disappointed that the group didn’t tell more of a story, building throughout the set. Don’t get me wrong, because this was a very good set—more on that to follow—but I just think it could have been all the better with a little more conscious structuring.

The last of the competing groups was Divisi. This was the second time the group has made it to Finals, after a historic trip in 2005, well-documented in Pitch Perfect, wherein the all-female group was arguably robbed of the championship in a judging debacle that, in large part, led to the reconfiguration of the adjudication panel to what we know today (five judges, with highest and lowest scores dropped). Anyway, this was the group’s first time back to the big stage in New York, which is a bit misleading. It speaks to a culture of excellence in any group that it makes it to the Finals twice in a decade span. On a personal note, this was probably the group I was most excited to hear, as one of the few truly great collegiate groups I’ve never had the opportunity to watch in-person before this night.

Divisi took the stage in black fedoras, leather vests and black bottoms, with white collared shirts and ties. This was a little too much of a costume for my tastes, but I also think this was an effort at living up to their reputation as one of a small number of legitimately bad-ass all-female groups in a cappella today.

The women opened with “Ruby Blue” by Roisin Murphy. They went with sort of gangster/gun motif on this one, starting with a pretty sick simulated siren sound, then leading to some a lot of gun-oriented choreography. I wasn’t wild about the sunglasses the soloist donned, but she carried it off better than most women would for sheer attitude. Very strong percussion throughout this. I think what most folks will remember most about this song was how abruptly it ended. There was a dramatic pose, but just a sort of sudden stop to the song, at which point the audience waited for a couple seconds before the first smatterings of applause came in. Divisi broke formation and set up for their next song, communicating to the rest of us that it was, in fact, OK to clap. A bit of an awkward moment that detracted a bit from an otherwise strong opener.

Next was “Fallin’” originally by Alicia Keys. I’m not sure how many times I’ve written against this type of song—and even this song, in particular—but I typically just find it too boring emotionally neutral to have much of a place in a cappella show and particularly in a competition set. With all of that said, Divisi did it’s darnedest to subvert my expectations, doing large segments of this chorally, then having a bit of a call and answer set up between the soloist and the group. And so, the group stood in an arc and sang, offering up a really different arrangement, without changing a thing about the melody or tempo of the song. Things loosened up from there as the perc kicked. I worry the group didn’t get enough of a chance to prepare for this mic set up, as the solo bounced around a little between un-miced singers, and their vocals threatened to get lost in the sound of the group. All told, I think Divisi did its best and made an all-female standard into something that was distinctively their own for a solid second song.

Divisi’s third song was Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be.” The soloists were the story of this song, with the primary one expertly working the stage throughout the song, and the backing solo joining her for a simply sensational complementary performance during the breakdown part of the song. While the ending of this one didn’t seem as clipped the way “Ruby Blue” did, it did come sooner than I had expected it here as well. With two songs going like that, I couldn’t help but suspect that the three song formula was about to be broken.

Sure enough, Divisi followed with its closer, “He Lives In You” from The Lion King. Riveting solo on this one. The choreography was a bit overdone for my tastes early on, but it makes all the difference in the world—particularly for an all-female group—that they didn’t look silly or self-conscious when they were doing it. They were completely serious, confident and downright fast. This movement culminated in all-out dance breakdown with some wild, but perfectly synchronized theatrical moves and a little bit of stomp action. Like The Accidentals’ percussionist’s back-flip, this flirted with the non-musical line, but I think they kept it short enough to remain viable and not take away from the song.

It was an interesting experience to take in Divisi’s four song set. On one hand, it was as if they were openly challenging the taboos of contemporary collegiate a cappella, saying “We’re an all-female group that’s going to wear sunglasses, but still be taken seriously. We’re going to sing Alicia Keys but not be boring. We’re going to make a Natalie Cole song relevant. And we’re going to take a song from a Broadway musical and be captivating enough so that you can’t dismiss us.” They subverted the norm to mostly positive results, which, on one hand, is a testament to how powerful the group is. On the other hand, though, I couldn’t help but wonder how good they might have been had they obeyed conventional wisdom—would they have lost their edge, or would they have been even better? When your group is best-known for its revolutionary rendition of Usher’s “Yeah,” there’s a lot of pressure to stay unconventional, but I’m genuinely not certain if that that served them best here.

The other thing that stood out to me about this set was that, despite breaking convention, it seemed like a bit of an anachronism in this competition. Maybe it was the four songs or the stomping at the end, or just the fact that they were a really strong women’s group out of the west, but it seemed oddly reminiscent of the 2007 Noteworthy set to me, which was great at the time. And despite this being a pretty great set in its own right, something about it still felt a few years behind the times.

With the last of the competitors finished, it came time for the judges to deliberate and for Duwende to entertain the crowd. The group continued to use its monster energy and sound for really strong renditions of “Wanna Be Starting Something,” “Kiss,” and a wildly entertaining (and well executed) French rap song.

As Duwende performed, I went over my selections for placement and individual superlatives. It was a really strong year for the Finals, and though they didn’t blow away the field, I thought the sound, visual presentation and innovation of The SoCal VoCals demanded that they take home first place honors. Things got stickier from there. Though I thought they faltered a little with their last song selection, I maintained that Purple Haze had offered one of the most memorable sets of the night. I also didn’t agree with the Pitch Slapped song selections, but did think that every single one of their songs had really delivered. While Divisi wasn’t at its absolute best, I took them to be dark horses to place. And though The Accidentals were really impressive and had some truly remarkable moments (the perc on “Comin’ Home Baby,” the solo on “I Shall Not Walk Alone,” the build to their closer), I put The Accidentals in a similar place, right on the fringe of placing, and probably just a nudge of ahead of the all-female crew.

I was a little surprised when The Accidentals did take third, but there were few surprises from there with Pitch Slapped taking first runner-up honors, and The SoCal VoCals reclaiming their championship crown. The champs closed out the night with an entertaining rendition of Gabriel Mann’s “Dirt Road.”

All in all it was a really polished, energizing, and fun night of a cappella. My hat is off to Amanda Newman, Lindsay Howerton and the rest of the Varsity Vocals crew for putting together another remarkable year of competition, culminating in this fantastic night of music. Also, a big mix of thanks and nice-to-meet-yous to all of the ACB readers and other members of the a cappella community we got to meet or reunite with this weekend. If you’re a part of the a cappella universe and never have made it to the Finals, it really is a cool experience, and I wholeheartedly recommend that you try it when you have the chance.

My picks for the night

Overall Placement:
1. The SoCal VoCals
2. Pitch Slapped
3. Purple Haze

Best Soloist:
1. Purple Haze for “Coming Home”
2. Pitch Slapped for “Halo”
3. The Accidentals for “I Shall Not Walk Alone”

Best Vocal Percussion:
1. The Accidentals for “Comin’ Home Baby”
2. Pitch Slapped for the full set

Best Choreography:
1. The SoCal VoCals for “Living for the City”
2. Divisi for “He Lives in You”
3. Pitch Slapped for “Got To Get You Into My Life”

Best Arrangement*:
1. The SoCals for “Crazy Ever After”
2. Divisi for “Fallin’”

*note, I don’t ordinarily make picks for arrangement because I, admittedly, don’t know a lot about arranging or the intricacies thereof. I wanted to make mention of these two creative takes on the songs, though, for doing some really different things with the music.

ICCA Official Results

Overall Placement:
1. The SoCal VoCals
2. Pitch Slapped
3. The Accidentals

Outstanding Arrangement: Pitch Slapped for “Got To Get You Into My Life”

Outstanding Choreography: The SoCal VoCals

Outstanding Vocal Percussion: The Accidentals

Outstanding Soloist: The Accidentals for “Come Together”